India is a state in Southern Asia. India borders with Pakistan in the east, with China, Nepal and Bhutan in the northeast, with Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. Besides, India has maritime boundaries with the Maldive Islands in the southwest, with Sri Lanka in the south and with Indonesia in the southeast. The disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir state borders with Afghanistan.

Relief. Plains and uplands occupy about 3/4 of the territory of India. The major part of Hindustan is occupied by the Deccan Plateau, the western part - by the Western Ghats. The southern continuation of the latter are horst massifs Nilgiri (2,633 m), Anaimalai, and the Cardamon Mountains. The Aravali Range (1,722 m) is in the northwest and the Vindha Range (881 m) is in the north of the country. The northeastern part of the territory is occupied by the Chota Nagpur (600 m high in average).

Mountains. The Western Ghats, also called the Sahyadri, are in the west of Hindustan. The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra to the south of the Tapti River, runs about 1,600 km through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and ends in Kanyakumari, the southern tip of Hindustan. About 60% of the Western Ghats are located in Karnataka.

The Kanchenjunga is a mountain massif in the Himalayas on the Nepal-India border, consisting of five peaks the highest of which Kanchenjunga is of 8,586 m above sea level.

Rivers. Numerous rivers run through the Indian territory: the Narmada, the Tapti, the Indus and the affluents of the latter the Sutlej, the Chenab, the Jhelum, the Ravi, the Beas.

Other Indian rivers are the Ganges, the Yamuna, the Chambal, the Gomti, the Brahmaputra, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Mahanadi, the Kaveri.

Lakes. The largest Indian lakes are the Chilka, the Sambhar, the Kolleru, the Loktak, the Vular.

Caves. The most well-known caves in India are in Ajanta, Ellora, Mumbai and Kerala.

National Parks. National parks in India are numerous: Dachgam in Kashmir, Corbett in Uttar Pradesh, Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh, Valley of Flowers in Uttar Pradesh, Sariska in Rajasthan, Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh, Bharatpur in Rajasthan, Kanha in Madhya Pradesh, Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Kaziranga in Assam, Dandeli in Karnataka, Krishnagiri Upavan in Maharashtra, Tadoba in Maharashtra, Velvadar in Gujarat.

National Reserves. National reserves in India are many as well: Manas in Assam, Palamau Tiger Sanctuary in Bihar, Jaldapara in West Bengal, Similipal Tiger Sanctuary in Orissa, Periyar in Kerala, Vedanthangal Water Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.

Sightseeing. Delhi is the capital of India. The historical monuments of the city worth visiting are: the famous Red Fort (Lal Kila, 1639-1648), the highest tower in the country (72.5 m) in the Qutub Minar ensemble (Vijay Stambh, presumably 1191-1370), the ruins of Lalkot, “The Old Fortress” of Purana Kila (Din Panah, 1530-1545), the Raj Ghat Palace, Jantar Mantar - the oldest observatory in India (1725), the ruins of Rai Pathor, the Jahaz Mahal ensemble (“the ship palace”, 1229-1230), “the block tower” Chor Minar, the memorial arch of the Indian Gates.

The city of Agra was the capital of the Great Moguls Empire and the gem of India.

Amritsar is the place of the main shrine of Sikhism – the golden temple (Darbar Sahib or Svarn Mandir, 1577), surrounded by the sacred reservoir of immortality.

Mumbai or Bombay is “the Gates of India” and the capital of the state of Maharashtra.

The state of Rajasthan is widely famous for its military history and a great number of ancient fortresses and forts.

Jaipur – the capital of the state of Rajasthan – is one of the most interesting cities of the country. There one can see the Chandra Mahal palace ensemble, the palaces of Raj Mahal, Jal Mahal (The Lake Palace), Hava Mahal (The Winds Palace, 1799) and Rambagh (recently reconstructed into a luxury hotel).

The state of Goa is to the north of Mumbai and is considered the best seaside holiday region of the country.

In Panaji – the capital of the state of Goa – one should visit the majestic church of Immaculate Conception (1541), the old district of Fountainhas, and the temple of Maha Lakshmi.

Chennai (the former Madras) was founded in 1639 as the British outpost on the peninsula, thus the architecture of the city demonstrates strong influence of the British colonial style.

The state of Kerala lies in the southwestern part of the peninsula. The Malabar coast of the state is considered one of the best beach regions of Asia.

The main city of the region – Kolkata (Calcutta) – is the administrative centre of the state of West Bengal and the largest city of the country, and is included into the list of the ten largest cities in the world.

The state of Orissa stretches along the western coast of the Bay of Bengal. The main places of interest are the three temple cities: Bhubaneshvar, Puri and Konarak.

Tourism. Beach tourism flourishes in the state of Goa, on the beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, of the Lakshadvip Islands, of the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Other popular beaches are those of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Climate. The climate of India is of the subequatorial monsoon type, tropical in the northwest. The amount of precipitation varies greatly from year to year. In the plains the average temperature of January is from +15°C to +27°C, than of May is from +28°C to +35°C throughout the country, sometimes reaching +45-47°C.